A guideline for community forest management in the Makong area was not accepted by the state because the state viewed the forest only in commercial and biological terms, conserving the forest for its monetary value. Therefore, villagers were prevented from accessing forest resources. Most state-led projects emphasized the need for changes in villagers’ behavior which was deemed by the state to be backward and old-fashioned.

As a consequence, Makong communities were forced to change their traditional practices. The roles of community institutions and the definitions of community culture had changed as illustrated in the drum ritual and in other community traditions.

Furthermore, state control of forest resources obliged the villagers to abandon their crop rotation practices and to exploit forest products as well as to cultivate cash crops and to work for the state for the security of their lives.